Pairing a mobile computer to a peripheral wireless device during setup procedures

ABSTRACT

A method of pairing a mobile computing device with an external device during set up of the mobile computing device, the method comprising, at a computing device initiate a setup application for the mobile computing device; determining if the mobile computing device has an internal scanner; when the mobile computing device does not have an internal scanner: prepare the mobile computing device for pairing with a peripheral scanning device; prepare the peripheral scanning device for pairing with the mobile computing device; pairing the mobile computing device with the peripheral scanning device; and scanning staging indicia with the peripheral scanning device to initiate a device staging application within the mobile computing device.

BACKGROUND

Staging of a mobile computing device may require imaging indiciaprovided with the mobile computing device. This may cause issues howeverif the mobile computing device does not come with an integrated imagerand needs to be paired with an external scanning device. The mobilecomputing device, at this point in setup, would not have fullcapabilities which would typically be available during pairing. Thechallenge comes in developing a solution that allows pairing to occurbetween a mobile computing device and an external scanning device whenthe typical capabilities are not available.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying figures, where like reference numerals refer toidentical or functionally similar elements throughout the separateviews, together with the detailed description below, are incorporated inand form part of the specification, and serve to further illustrateembodiments of concepts that include the claimed invention and explainvarious principles and advantages of those embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a system for mobile computing devicestaging.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of certain internal hardware components of amobile computing device of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of certain internal hardware components of aperipheral scanning device of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a method of initiating staging software in amobile computing device without an imager in the system of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a first method for pairing an imager-lessmobile computing device with a peripheral scanning device of FIG. 4 .

FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram showing the relationship of the imager-lessmobile computing device and the peripheral scanning device during themethod of FIG. 5 .

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a second method for pairing an imager-lessmobile computing device with a peripheral scanning device of FIG. 4 .

FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram showing the relationship of the imager-lessmobile computing device and then peripheral scanning device during themethod of FIG. 7 .

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a third method for pairing an imager-lessmobile computing device with a peripheral scanning device of FIG. 4 .

FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing the relationship of theimager-less mobile computing device and then peripheral scanning deviceduring the method of FIG. 9 .

Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures areillustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily beendrawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements inthe figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help toimprove understanding of embodiments of the present invention.

The apparatus and method components have been represented whereappropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only thosespecific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments ofthe present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with detailsthat will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the arthaving the benefit of the description herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

When a mobile computing device (MCD) is first removed from the packagingby a new user, the new user may want to configure, or stage, the new MCDwith settings similar to other mobile computing devices that the userowns. A new MCD may enter a setup application upon start up, and fromthe setup application, the user may want to enter a staging applicationwhich would set up the MCD.

The process of staging the new MCD similarly to the other MCDs can bedone a variety of ways. A common way to stage a new MCD would be to havea staging indicia, in some cases a barcode, come in the packaging withthe MCD. The indicia may include data that can be used by the MCD forstaging. The indicia could then be imaged or scanned by the MCD, whichdecodes the data included in the indicia and uses the data for staging.

However, an issue may arise if the MCD does not have an integratedimager or scanner for which to scan the indicia used for staging. Inthis scenario, the MCD would not be able to scan the indicia providedfor staging, which allows the MCD to exit the setup application andenter the staging application. When a MCD does not have an integratedscanner, the user may use a known method for pairing the MCD with aperipheral scanner. However, when the MCD is in the setup application,which the MCD may be in upon start up, the MCD may not be able to exitthe setup mode in order to pair with the peripheral scanning device. Anissue then arises as to how to pair a MCD without an integrated scannerwith a peripheral scanning device while the MCD is executing the setupapplication.

The MCD may be used in a facility. Prior to deployment in a givenfacility, each MCD is configured for operation in that facility. Thatis, the MCD is received at the facility from a device manufacturer in astate that generally includes an operating system but does not includevarious facility-specific software to enable the MCD to perform thetasks for which the MCD will be deployed in the facility. Preparing eachMCD to operate in the relevant facility is referred to as staging theMCD, and includes one or more of the installation of applications,configuration of settings (e.g., network connections), and retrieval ofother data to enable the device to operate within the facility.

Various mechanisms may be employed to stage a MCD. For example, when theMCD includes a barcode reader module, a MCD can be operated to scan oneor more previously generated barcodes and retrieve therefrominstructions and/or storage locations for staging data. In otherexamples, a MCD may be operated to establish a connection to another,previously staged MCD, and retrieve staging data therefrom in what isreferred to as peer-to-peer (P2P) staging. In further examples, a MCDcan be placed into a charging cradle that is connected to a network, andthe MCD may then be operated to initiate staging, e.g., by retrievingstaging data from a source previously made available via the chargingcradle. The above staging mechanisms, however, involve manual operationof each MCD by staging staff, and may therefore be time-consuming anderror prone.

The system described below includes certain components and functionalityto reduce manual intervention by staging staff, enabling staging of MCDthat is automated to a greater degree than in the mechanisms mentionedabove.

Examples disclosed herein are directed to a method of pairing a mobilecomputing device with an external device during set up of the mobilecomputing device, the method comprising, at a computing device: initiatea setup application for the mobile computing device; determining if themobile computing device has an internal scanner; when the mobilecomputing device does not have an internal scanner: prepare the mobilecomputing device for pairing with a peripheral scanning device; preparethe peripheral scanning device for pairing with the mobile computingdevice; pairing the mobile computing device with the peripheral scanningdevice; and scanning staging indicia with the peripheral scanning deviceto initiate a device staging application within the mobile computingdevice.

Additional examples disclosed herein are directed to a method of pairinga mobile computing device with a peripheral scanning device, the methodcomprising: initiating a setup application for the mobile computingdevice; inputting a touch configuration on a user interface of themobile computing device; displaying a pairing indicia on the userinterface, wherein the pairing indicia contains data corresponding to aBluetooth MAC address of the mobile computing device; scanning thepairing indicia with the peripheral scanning device; in response toscanning the pairing indicia, using the Bluetooth MAC address of themobile computing device to pair the mobile computer device with theperipheral scanning device; establishing a Bluetooth connection betweenthe mobile computing device and the peripheral scanning device; andscanning a staging indicia with the peripheral scanning device toinitiate a device staging application within the mobile computingdevice.

Further examples disclosed herein are directed to a method of pairing amobile computing device with a peripheral scanning device, the methodcomprising: initiating a setup application for the mobile computingdevice; inputting a first hardware key sequence on the mobile computingdevice to activate a Bluetooth radio of the mobile computing device;inputting a second hardware key sequence on the peripheral scanningdevice to activate a second Bluetooth radio of the peripheral scanningdevice; writing data into an Extended Inquiry Response for transmissionby with the peripheral scanning device; discovering the peripheralscanning device with the mobile computing device via the data within theExtended Inquiry Response; initiating pairing between the mobilecomputing device and the peripheral scanning device; authenticating thepairing between the mobile computing device and the peripheral scanningdevice; and scanning a staging indicia with the peripheral scanningdevice to initiate a device staging application within the mobilecomputing device.

Further examples disclosed herein are directed to a method of pairing aNFC enabled mobile computing device with a peripheral scanning device,the method comprising: initiating a setup application for the mobilecomputing device; tapping the peripheral scanning device against themobile computing device; exchanging Bluetooth data between the mobilecomputing device and the peripheral scanning device; initiating pairingbetween the mobile computing device and the peripheral scanning device;authenticating the pairing between the mobile computing device and theperipheral scanning device; and scanning a staging indicia with theperipheral scanning device to initiate a device staging applicationwithin the mobile computing device.

FIG. 1 depicts a system 100 including a mobile computing device (MCD)102 and a peripheral scanning device 104. The MCD 102 can include anyone of, or any combination of, handheld or wearable computers,smartphones, tablet computers, or the like. Each MCD 102 thus includes avariety of internal components (e.g., controllers, displays, processors,or the like), powered by an integrated battery. Components within theMCD 102 will be further described below. The MCD in the depicted exampledo not have an integrated scanner. The MCD 102 may require configurationupon set up of the MCD 102, for example, when it is first removed fromthe MCD packaging 110.

Some MCD 102 are able to configure a device by scanning a stagingindicia 108 that comes with the MCD 102 in the packaging 110. In thisscenario, when the MCD 102 scans the staging indicia 108, the MCD 102decodes data encoded in the staging indicia 108 and executes a stagingapplication which stages the device. However, if MCD 102 does not havean integrated scanner allowing the MCD 102 to scan the staging indicia108, then other steps need to be taken to allow the staging indicia 108to be scanned. In some scenarios, MCD 102 may pair with a peripheralscanning device (PSD) 104. The PSD 104 will be described in greaterdetail below. The pairing can be done via Bluetooth or other similarwireless pairing methods. Methods of pairing the MCD 102 with the PSD104 are described further below. One method of pairing includes the MCD102 displaying a pairing indicia 106 on a user interface of the MCD 102and using the PSD 104 to scan the pairing indicia 106 to being thepairing process.

Once the MCD 102 is paired with the PSD 104, the PSD 104 is able to scanindicia and transmit the data within the indicia via wireless connectionto the MCD 102. The PSD 104 may scan the staging indicia 108 at thistime and transmit the data within the staging indicia 108 to the MCD102. The MCD 102 can then use that data to execute the stagingapplication.

FIG. 2 depicts internal components of a MCD 102. The MCD 102 includes acentral processing unit (CPU), also referred to as a processor 200,interconnected with a non-transitory computer readable storage medium,such as a memory 202. The memory 202 includes any suitable combinationof volatile (e.g., Random Access Memory (RAM)) and non-volatile (e.g.read only memory (ROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable Read OnlyMemory (EEPROM), flash) memory. The processor 200 and the memory 202each comprise one or more integrated circuits (ICs).

The memory 202 stores a plurality of computer-readable instructions 210,e.g., in the form of a staging control application and a pairingapplication. The applications are executable by the processor 200 toimplement various functionality performed by the MCD 102. As will bediscussed below, the staging control application implementsfunctionality to detect new MCD 102 settings to be staged, and to selecta source of staging data for such devices. The staging data includes,for example, one or more staging files that contain applications,configuration settings, and the like, and/or instructions for where toretrieve such information. The memory 202 stores, in this example, arepository 212 of staging data. The MCD 102, however, may not be theonly source of staging data in the system 100. In fact, in someexamples, the MCD 102 may not host any staging data.

Another example of staging data source is a network-attached storage(NAS) device 216 containing a copy 218 of the staging data, incommunication with the MCD 102 via network 214.

The MCD 102, having selected a source of staging data, is configured viaexecution of the staging application 210 to control access to either orboth of the source, and the MCD 102 being staged.

The MCD 102 also includes at least one input device, and at least oneoutput device, illustrated in FIG. 2 as an input/output assembly 206(otherwise called user interface) interconnected with the processor 200.In the present example, the input/output assembly is a touch-enableddisplay (i.e., a display panel with an integrated touch screen). Inother examples, the input and output devices need not be integrated asshown in FIG. 2 . The input device includes any suitable one, or anysuitable combination of, a touch screen, a keypad, a trigger (e.g., toinitiate the performance of an encoding or scanning task), a microphoneand the like. The output device includes any suitable one, or anysuitable combination of a display (e.g., integrated with theabove-mentioned touch screen), a speaker, and the like. The input/outputdevice 206 is configured to receive input and provide datarepresentative of the received input to the processor 200, and toreceive output from the processor 200 and present the output, e.g., viathe emission of sound from the speaker, the rendering of visualindications on the display, and the like.

The MCD 102 also includes a communications interface 204, enabling theMCD 102 to exchange data with other computing devices, such as the PSD104 or the NAS 216 via the network 214. The communications interface 204therefore includes any suitable hardware (e.g., antenna 208,transmitters, receivers, network interface controllers and the like)allowing the MCD 102 to communicate.

The components of the MCD 102 are interconnected by communication buses,and powered by a battery or other power source, over the above-mentionedcommunication buses or by distinct power buses. In other examples, theprocessor 200, as configured by the execution of the application 210, isimplemented as one or more specifically configured hardware elements,such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and/orapplication-specific integrated circuits (ASICs).

Turning now to FIG. 3 , the scanner 104 is comprised of an imagingmodule 304, a controller 300, memory 302, and a wireless radio 306. Eachof these components can be connected to each other component via acommunication bus and/or directly as required by the hardwarearchitecture. In particular, the controller 300 can be configured tocontrol various elements of the scanner 104 like the imaging module 112and wireless radio 118 in response to some type of a trigger.

Turning now to FIG. 4 , a method 400 of staging a mobile computingdevice is illustrated. The method 400 will be described in conjunctionwith its performance in the system 100. More specifically, certainportions of the method 400 as described below are performed between MCD102 that has not yet been staged, and the peripheral scanning device104.

At block 402, the mobile computing device 102 is powered up. This may bedone immediately after removal from the packaging 110. In someembodiments, the MCD 102 is being powered up for the first time by theuser.

At block 404, a setup application within the MCD 102 is executed. Thesetup application is an application that allows the initial settings ofthe MCD 102 to be configured. The setup application may be a setupwizard, or some other type of software that is configured to allow a MCDto go from start up to use. In some embodiments, as the setupapplication runs, other features of the MCD cannot be used. This mayinclude features such as pairing the MCD with other devices or othertypes of communication procedures.

At block 406, a determination is made into if the MCD 102 contains aninternal scanner. In other words, the process of staging the MCD 102will be different if the MCD has a scanner in the MCD housing that canbe used or not. If the MCD 102 contains an internal scanner, then themethod moves to block 408. If the MCD 102 does not have an internalscanner, the method goes to block 410.

At block 408, the MCD 102 is capable of scanning staging indicia 108with the internal scanner to initiate the devices staging softwarewithin the MCD. Once the MCD scans the staging indicia 108, the MCD 102executes the staging application and properly configures settings.

At block 410, if the MCD 102 does not have an internal scanner, then theMCD prepares for pairing with a peripheral scanning device from withinthe setup application. Different methods for pairing are described ingreater detail below.

At block 412, the PSD 104 prepares for pairing with the MCD 102. In someembodiments, the PSD 104 is prepared by activating the wireless radio306 of the PSD 104 and preparing to transmit. In another embodiment, aNear-Field Communication (NFC) sensor of the PSD 104 communicates withthe MCD 102 and executes a Bluetooth connection. The NFC sensorcommunicates through a tapping motion which initiates a Bluetoothpairing application to initiate the Bluetooth pairing process. Once theBluetooth peripheral is paired, the peripheral becomes an input sourcefor the staging application.

At block 414, the MCD 102 pairs with the PSD 104. The pairing may be aBluetooth connection or a similar type of pairing that allows wirelessdata transfer between the MCD 102 and the PSD 104.

At block 416, the PSD 104 scans the staging indicia and transfer thedata from the staging indicia to the MCD 102. In the describedembodiment, the MCD 102 then executes the staging application and beginsthe staging process as described above. Once the MCD 102 has beenstaged, the MCD 102 can begin normal operation by the user.

The method of FIG. 4 can be done in a variety of ways. As describedabove, once the MCD 102 begins executing the setup application,typically the MCD 102 will not be able to complete separate tasks whilethe setup application is running. This issue arises in FIG. 4 for boxes410-416. Alternative methods of establishing a connection are describedbelow.

FIG. 5 depicts an alternative method for scanning staging indicia withMCD 102. The method as depicted in FIG. 5 can be used with the system100 as shown in FIG. 1 . At block 500, the MCD 102 is powered up andexecutes the setup application. As described above, once in the setupapplication, often times other functions of the MCD 102 are notavailable, which requires separate solutions to pair with the PSD 104.

At block 502, the user inputs a touch configuration on the userinterface 206 of the MCD 102. The touch configuration can be anycombination of a plurality of touches to the user interface 206 that arespecialized to a point that enables the MCD 102 to recognize thespecialized touches as an input to enable programming. The touchconfiguration can be taps, swipes, or any combination thereof that theuser can input.

At block 504, the user interface 206 displays a pairing indicia 106. Thepairing indicia 106 is coded with pairing data comprising a BluetoothMAC address of the MCD 102. The pairing data is any data that can beused by the scanner 104 to initiate pairing with the MCD 102. The MCD102 encodes the Bluetooth MAC address into a barcode (shown as pairingindicia 106 in FIG. 1 ). The barcode can be a one-dimensional barcode(e.g., UPC, code 39, code 128, EAN-13, etc.) or a two-dimensionalbarcode (e.g., QR code, PDF147, Data Matrix, GS1, etc.). In preferredembodiments, the barcode is a parameter-setting barcode that includesthe Bluetooth MAC address along with a trigger indicator configured tosignal to the scanner 104 that certain parameters within the scannermust be changed (e.g., the scanner is to pair for an external device).

At block 506, the scanner 104 scans the pairing indicia 106 using theimaging module 304. The scanner 104 decodes the pairing indicia andsearches for the MCD 102 by searching for a device matching theBluetooth MAC address that was encoded in the pairing indicia 106.

At block 508, the scanner 104 and the MCD 102 begin a pairing process.Upon detecting the MCD 102 advertising the Bluetooth MAC address, inblock 506, the MCD 102 and the scanner 104 initiate a pairing processwhich, when successful, establishes a bi-directional wirelesscommunication link between the scanner 104 and the MCD 102. Onceestablished, this link can enable the scanner to transmit data to theMCD for, for example, database storage, further uplink transmission,analysis, scanning, and so on. Additionally, the MCD 102 may furtherconfigure the scanner 104 based on certain preset settings. It should beappreciated that additional security measures can be built into thepairing process whereby acknowledgement(s) and/or passcode(s) may berequired at either end of the communication link. A method for furthersecuring the connection will be described below.

At block 510, after the scanner 104 and the MCD 102 have paired, theuser uses the scanner 104 to scan the staging indicia 108. Once thestaging indicia is scanned, the scanner 104 transmits the staging datafrom the staging indicia 108. The MCD 102 then uses the staging data toexecute the staging application from within the setup application.

FIG. 6 depicts a sequence diagram 600 of the method described in FIG. 5. The sequence diagram 600 has the processes by the MCD 102 on theleft-hand side and the processes by the PSD 104 on the right hand side.The sequence diagram 600 begins with the MCD 102 having step 602 whichrequires a special tap sequence to be input into the MCD 102. From thespecial tap sequence, the MCD 102 moves to step 604 and displays pairingindicia with an encoded Bluetooth MAC address representative of the MCD102. For step 606, the PSD 104 scans the pairing indicia displayed onthe MCD 102. For step 608, the PSD 104 initiates pairing with the MCD102.

As to step 610 is done after the PSD 104 initiates pairing with the MCD102, the MCD 102 auto accepts the pairing from the PSD 104. As to step

As to step 612, the PSD 104, after initiating pairing with the MCD 102,authenticates the pairing. After the MCD 102 accepts the pairing in step610 and then PSD 104 authenticates the pairing of 612, the pairing iscompleted in step 614. After the Bluetooth pairing is complete, aBluetooth connection is formed between the MCD 102 and the PSD 104 atstep 616. The connection allows for transmissions between the MCD 102and PSD 104 at a first basic security level. The first basic securitylevel being security that is known in the art for Bluetooth connections.

For step 618, further security checks occur to make sure that the PSD104 and the MCD 102 are intended to be paired and that the PSD 104 isnot a rogue device where the user is not in control. Rogue devices maybe a security threat as they can simulate a safe device until aconnection is made and then the rogue device can corrupt the user'ssystem. Step 618 allows the MCD 102 to ensure that the connection is setup only for Synchronous Serial Interface (SSI) protocol to complete theconnection setup. If the connection is not for SSI protocol, then theMCD 102 rejects the connection and unpairs the PSD 104. The SSI protocollimits the connection to scanners configured to use the SSI mode, asopposed to other connection types like Human Interface Device (HID).

FIG. 7 depicts an alternative method for pairing a MCD 102 with the PSD104 for scanning staging indicia. The method as depicted in FIG. 7 canbe used with the system 100 as shown in FIG. 1 . At block 700, the MCD102 is powered up and executes the setup application. As describedabove, once in the setup application, often times other functions of theMCD 102 are not available. The following method allows for the MCD 102to pair with the PSD 104 while the MCD 102 is still operating in thesetup application.

At block 702, the user performs a first hardware key sequence with theMCD 102 to activate the communication interface 204 of the MCD 102. Thefirst hardware key sequence is any sequence of physical key presses onthe MCD 102 that triggers the MCD 102 to begin the pairing process. Insome embodiments, the first hardware key sequence is pressing a homebutton of the MCD 102 5 times. In another embodiment, the first hardwarekey sequence is pressing a volume up button on the MCD 102 5 times.

At block 704, the user performs a second hardware key sequence with thePSD 104 to activate the wireless radio 306 of the PSD 104. The secondhardware key sequence is any sequence of physical key presses on the PSD104 that triggers the PSD 104 to begin the pairing process. In someembodiments, the second hardware key sequence is pressing a home buttonof the PSD 104 5 times. In another embodiment, the second hardware keysequence is pulling a trigger of the PSD 104 5 times. After the PSD 104activates the wireless radio 306, the PSD 104 writes unique data intothe Extended Inquiry Response (EIR) of a PSD transmission. Theactivation of the wireless radio 306 may make the PSD 104 discoverableto other devices.

At block 706, the PSD 104 is discovered by the MCD 102 via the EIR dataassociated with the PSD 104 within the PSD transmission. The MCD 102 mayrecognize the EIR data as being secure based on data within the memory202 of the MCD 102. This allows the MCD 102 to recognize the PSD 104 ifthe system 100 is in an environment that contains a plurality of otherPSD with which the MCD 102 might be pairable. The MCD 102 may then beable to filter out other PSD transmissions until the EIR data isrecognized from the PSD 104.

At block 708, after discovering the PSD 104 via the EIR data, the MCD102 and the PSD 104 initiates the pairing process. At block 710, the MCD102 and the PSD 104 authenticates the pairing and initiates the wirelessconnection.

At block 712, after the PSD 104 and the MCD 102 have connected, the useruses the PSD 104 to scan the staging indicia 108. Once the stagingindicia is scanned, the PSD 104 transmits the staging data decoded fromthe staging indicia 108. The MCD 102 then uses the staging data toexecute the staging application from within the setup application.

FIG. 8 depicts a sequence diagram 800 of the method steps 700-710depicted in FIG. 7 . The sequence diagram 800 has the processes by theMCD 102 on the left-hand side and the processes by the PSD 104 on theright-hand side. The sequence diagram 800 begins with the MCD 102 havingstep 802 which requires a special first hardware key sequence to beinput into the MCD 102. From the special key sequence, the MCD 102 movesto step 804 and turns on the Bluetooth radio of the MCD 102 and startsdiscovery of other wireless radios in an area around the MCD 102 thattransmit the EIR.

Step 806 may require a second hardware key sequence to be input into thePSD 104. The second hardware key sequence may cause the PSD 104 to makethe PSD discoverable by activating the wireless radio 306 to broadcastthe EIR data. Step 810 displays pairing indicia with an encodedBluetooth MAC address representative of the MCD 102. For step 812, theMCD 102, after discovering the PSD 104 based on the EIR data, initiateswireless pairing with the PSD 104.

For step 814, the PSD 104 authenticates the pairing with the MCD 102.The PSD 104 authenticates that the MCD 102 is proper for wirelesspairing. After the authentication, at step 816, the MCD 102 and the PSD104 each completes the pairing process and then initiates the wirelessconnection at step 818.

At step 820, the MCD 102 ensures that the connection is set up for SSIprotocol only, as described above. If the SSI protocol is present, theconnection is complete. If the SSI protocol is not present, theconnection is rejection.

FIG. 9 depicts an alternative method for pairing a MCD 102 with the PSD104 for scanning staging indicia. The method of FIG. 9 can be used ifthe MCD 102 and the PSD 104 are configured for near-field communication(NFC), and if so, the method can be used with the system 100 as shown inFIG. 1 . At block 900, the NFC enabled MCD 102 is powered up andexecutes the setup application. As described above, once in the setupapplication, often times other functions of the MCD 102 are notavailable. The following method allows for the MCD 102 to pair with thePSD 104 while the MCD 102 is still operating in the setup application.

At block 902, the NFC-enabled PSD 104 is tapped against the NFC-enabledMCD 102. The tapping of two NFC-enabled devices is a common way toactivate pairing in the two devices, however any other known NFCactivating pairing method could also be used.

At block 904, once the NFC activates pairing between the MCD 102 and thePSD 104, the devices exchange wireless communication data. This data maybe Bluetooth data or any other exchange that would allow a wirelessconnection to be made.

At block 906, pairing is initiated between the MCD 102 and the PSD 104.At block 908, the pairing between the MCD 102 and the PSD 104 isauthenticated and a wireless connection between the MCD 102 and the PSD104 is initiated. Once the wireless connection between the MCD 102 andthe PSD 104 is set, then data can be transmitted between the devices.

At block 910, after the PSD 104 and the MCD 102 have connected, the useruses the PSD 104 to scan the staging indicia 108. Once the stagingindicia 108 is scanned, the PSD 104 transmits the staging data decodedfrom the staging indicia 108. The MCD 102 then uses the staging data toexecute the staging application from within the setup application.

FIG. 10 depicts a sequence diagram 1000 of the method steps 900-908depicted in FIG. 9 . The sequence diagram 1000 has the processes by theNFC-enabled MCD 102 on the left-hand side and the processes by theNFC-enabled PSD 104 on the right-hand side. The sequence diagram 1000begins with the PSD 104 having step 1002 to tap the PSD 104 against theMCD 102.

Step 1004 allows for the PSD 104 to send Bluetooth information to theMCD 102 in an NFC exchange. This step does not need to necessarily beBluetooth information, it can be any data transfer that allows for thewireless connection between the MCD and the PSD to occur. The Bluetoothinformation may be related to the class of device of the PSD 104.

Step 1006 may be done by the NFC-enabled MCD 102 as it checks theBluetooth information received by the PSD 104 and whether the Bluetoothinformation is compatible with the MCD 102. If the MCD 102 determinesthat the PSD 104 is compatible based upon the Bluetooth informationreceived, then the MCD 102 may move to step 1008 and initiate pairingwith the PSD 104.

After pairing is initiated between the MCD 102 and the PSD 104, the MCD102 takes step 1010 and automatically accepts the pairing initiation andPSD 104 takes step 1012 and authenticates pairing on its side. Thisprocess if further described above.

Once steps 1010 and 1012 are complete, then step 1014 occurs and pairingis complete. Step 1016 is to initiate a connection between the MCD 102and the PSD 104. Then step 1018 has the connection to be complete.

In the foregoing specification, specific embodiments have beendescribed. However, one of ordinary skill in the art appreciates thatvarious modifications and changes can be made without departing from thescope of the invention as set forth in the claims below. Accordingly,the specification and figures are to be regarded in an illustrativerather than a restrictive sense, and all such modifications are intendedto be included within the scope of present teachings.

The benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any element(s) thatmay cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become morepronounced are not to be construed as a critical, required, or essentialfeatures or elements of any or all the claims. The invention is definedsolely by the appended claims including any amendments made during thependency of this application and all equivalents of those claims asissued.

Moreover, in this document, relational terms such as first and second,top and bottom, and the like may be used solely to distinguish oneentity or action from another entity or action without necessarilyrequiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between suchentities or actions. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “has”,“having,” “includes”, “including,” “contains”, “containing” or any othervariation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, suchthat a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises, has,includes, contains a list of elements does not include only thoseelements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherentto such process, method, article, or apparatus. An element proceeded by“comprises . . . a”, “has . . . a”, “includes . . . a”, “contains . . .a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence ofadditional identical elements in the process, method, article, orapparatus that comprises, has, includes, contains the element. The terms“a” and “an” are defined as one or more unless explicitly statedotherwise herein. The terms “substantially”, “essentially”,“approximately”, “about” or any other version thereof, are defined asbeing close to as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, and inone non-limiting embodiment the term is defined to be within 10%, inanother embodiment within 5%, in another embodiment within 1% and inanother embodiment within 0.5%. The term “coupled” as used herein isdefined as connected, although not necessarily directly and notnecessarily mechanically. A device or structure that is “configured” ina certain way is configured in at least that way but may also beconfigured in ways that are not listed.

It will be appreciated that some embodiments may be comprised of one ormore generic or specialized processors (or “processing devices”) such asmicroprocessors, digital signal processors, customized processors andfield programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and unique stored programinstructions (including both software and firmware) that control the oneor more processors to implement, in conjunction with certainnon-processor circuits, some, most, or all of the functions of themethod and/or apparatus described herein. Alternatively, some or allfunctions could be implemented by a state machine that has no storedprogram instructions, or in one or more application specific integratedcircuits (ASICs), in which each function or some combinations of certainof the functions are implemented as custom logic. Of course, acombination of the two approaches could be used.

Moreover, an embodiment can be implemented as a computer-readablestorage medium having computer readable code stored thereon forprogramming a computer (e.g., comprising a processor) to perform amethod as described and claimed herein. Examples of suchcomputer-readable storage mediums include, but are not limited to, ahard disk, a CD-ROM, an optical storage device, a magnetic storagedevice, a ROM (Read Only Memory), a PROM (Programmable Read OnlyMemory), an EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), an EEPROM(Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) and a Flashmemory. Further, it is expected that one of ordinary skill,notwithstanding possibly significant effort and many design choicesmotivated by, for example, available time, current technology, andeconomic considerations, when guided by the concepts and principlesdisclosed herein will be readily capable of generating such softwareinstructions and programs and ICs with minimal experimentation.

The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided to allow the reader toquickly ascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. It issubmitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpretor limit the scope or meaning of the claims. In addition, in theforegoing Detailed Description, it can be seen that various features aregrouped together in various embodiments for the purpose of streamliningthe disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted asreflecting an intention that the claimed embodiments require morefeatures than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as thefollowing claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than allfeatures of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claimsare hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claimstanding on its own as a separately claimed subject matter.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method of pairing a mobile computingdevice with an external device during set up of the mobile computingdevice, the method comprising, at a computing device: initiating a setupapplication on the mobile computing device; determining if the mobilecomputing device includes an internal scanner; when the mobile computingdevice does not include an internal scanner: preparing the mobilecomputing device for pairing with a peripheral scanning device;preparing the peripheral scanning device for pairing with the mobilecomputing device; pairing the mobile computing device with theperipheral scanning device; and scanning staging indicia with theperipheral scanning device to initiate a device staging applicationwithin the mobile computing device.
 2. The method of claim 1, whereinthe device staging application configures wireless settings within themobile computing device.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein preparing theperipheral scanning device includes scanning a pairing indicia displayedby the mobile computing device.
 4. A method of pairing a mobilecomputing device with a peripheral scanning device, the methodcomprising: initiating a setup application for the mobile computingdevice; receiving a touch configuration on a user interface of themobile computing device; displaying a pairing indicia on the userinterface, wherein the pairing indicia contains data corresponding to aBluetooth MAC address of the mobile computing device; scanning thepairing indicia with the peripheral scanning device; in response toscanning the pairing indicia, using the Bluetooth MAC address of themobile computing device to pair the mobile computer device with theperipheral scanning device; establishing a Bluetooth connection betweenthe mobile computing device and the peripheral scanning device; andscanning a staging indicia with the peripheral scanning device toinitiate a device staging application within the mobile computingdevice.
 5. The method of claim 4, further comprising determining thatthe Bluetooth connection is a Synchronous Serial Interface (SSI)connection, and when the Bluetooth connection is not the SSI connection,terminating the Bluetooth connection.
 6. The method of claim 4, whereinthe device staging application terminates the Bluetooth connection. 7.The method of claim 4, wherein the device staging application configureswireless settings within the mobile computing device.
 8. The method ofclaim 4, wherein the device staging application configures displaysettings within the mobile computing device.
 9. A method of pairing amobile computing device with a peripheral scanning device, the methodcomprising: initiating a setup application for the mobile computingdevice; inputting a first hardware key sequence on the mobile computingdevice to activate a first Bluetooth radio in the mobile computingdevice; inputting a second hardware key sequence on the peripheralscanning device to activate a second Bluetooth radio in the peripheralscanning device; writing data into an Extended Inquiry Response forBluetooth transmission by the peripheral scanning device; discoveringthe peripheral scanning device with the mobile computing device via thedata within the Extended Inquiry Response; initiating pairing betweenthe mobile computing device and the peripheral scanning device;authenticating the pairing between the mobile computing device and theperipheral scanning device; and scanning a staging indicia with theperipheral scanning device to initiate a device staging applicationwithin the mobile computing device.
 10. The method of claim 9, furthercomprising determining that the Bluetooth connection is a SynchronousSerial Interface (SSI) connection, and when the Bluetooth connection isnot the SSI connection, terminating the Bluetooth connection.
 11. Amethod of pairing a NFC enabled mobile computing device with aperipheral scanning device, the method comprising: initiating a setupapplication for the mobile computing device; tapping the peripheralscanning device against the mobile computing device; exchangingBluetooth data between the mobile computing device and the peripheralscanning device; initiating pairing between the mobile computing deviceand the peripheral scanning device; authenticating the pairing betweenthe mobile computing device and the peripheral scanning device; andscanning a staging indicia with the peripheral scanning device toinitiate a device staging application within the mobile computingdevice.
 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising furthercomprising determining that the Bluetooth connection is a SynchronousSerial Interface (SSI) connection, and when the Bluetooth connection isnot the SSI connection, terminating the Bluetooth connection.
 13. Themethod of claim 11, wherein the Bluetooth data is a class of device. 14.The method of claim 13, wherein the class of device is IMAGING_CAPTURE.15. The method of claim 11, wherein when the device staging applicationis initiated, the pairing is disconnected.
 16. A system for staging amobile computing device, the system comprising: a mobile computingdevice; and a peripheral scanning device, wherein the system comprises:initiating a setup application on the mobile computing device;determining if the mobile computing device includes an internal scanner;when the mobile computing device does not include an internal scanner:preparing the mobile computing device for pairing with a peripheralscanning device; preparing the peripheral scanning device for pairingwith the mobile computing device; pairing the mobile computing devicewith the peripheral scanning device; and scanning staging indicia withthe peripheral scanning device to initiate a device staging applicationwithin the mobile computing device.
 17. The system of claim 16, whereinthe device staging application configures wireless settings within themobile computing device.
 18. The system of claim 16, wherein preparingthe peripheral scanning device includes scanning a pairing indiciadisplayed by the mobile computing device.